County cleanup of Newport River a boon to paddlers

By Mark Hibbs

NEWS-TIMES

NEWPORT – A group of canoe and kayak enthusiasts with a mission to clean up trash along local rivers is ecstatic now that a county project to clear fallen trees has opened miles of new wilderness for paddlers to explore.

County commissioners last July approved a request to apply to the state for funds to snag fallen trees in the Newport River ’s upper reaches. The logs and heavy overgrowth there made the prongs impassable to even the most adventurous explorers.

The Stewards of the White Oak River Basin, a loosely organized volunteer group that picks up litter while paddling local waterways, gathered Wednesday armed with reaching tools and garbage bags at a bridge on Newport ’s Nine Mile Road to launch their maiden voyage on the newly cleared waterway.

Chief steward, Elmer Eddy, also known as “the White Oak River trash man,” said county commissioners deserve “profuse praises” for their decision to clean up one of the county’s most scenic attractions.

“It’s a gem that’s right here in our backyard,” Mr. Eddy said as he dipped his oar and began the more than 6-mile winding journey toward the Wildlife Commission’s boat ramp in town.

“It makes a whole lot of U-turns. The trip is at least seven or eight miles due to the twists and turns in the river,” Mr. Eddy said after the trip.

He said the team of paddlers had just rounded the first bend when they entered a silent and deep wilderness, insulated from the din of civilization.

“This river is unique in that it’s heavily forested,” Mr. Eddy said.

He said the dense curtains of trees and vegetation along the outer river basin filter the noise and protect the trees on the banks from damaging winds.

“Blow downs,” as the paddlers call the fallen trees that blocked passage and collected floating debris like the tines of a rake, were cleared in a three-week job completed Tuesday.

A $52,000 grant from the State Division of Water Resources and a $13,000 county appropriation made the project happen.

County Soil and Water Conservation technician Todd Kelly supervised the snag line cleanup, which was performed by an 11-man crew from Blackmon Construction of Smithfield. He said the crew, working on johnboats and canoes with chainsaws and hand tools endured extreme conditions.

“They worked the coldest days we’ve had. A couple of days the temperature was only 16 or 18 degrees ― they were tough,” Mr. Kelly said.

He said the preliminary work of counting fallen trees was also hard work. Fortunately, the cold weather kept mosquitoes, snakes and other pests at a minimum.

“Most of the creepy-crawlies are in hibernation this time of year,” Mr. Kelly said.

The stewards enjoyed much warmer weather Wednesday as they embarked on their journey. The group, which in addition to Mr. Eddy included Bill Murray, Robert Wendel, Brian Leavy, Joanne Somerday and Dale Weston, buzzed with excitement as they paddled away under the sunny midday sky.

Mr. Eddy’s excitement was still evident two days later.

“They did a beautiful job of cleaning up the river,” Mr. Eddy said Friday.

The group is dedicated to bringing the White Oak River Basin to a trash-free condition and keeping it that way.  

The basin includes the New River , White Oak River , creeks along Bogue Sound, Bogue Sound, Newport River , creeks along Core Sound, and Core Sound.  

The area covers from the Jones-Duplin county line to North Topsail Island , northeast to Cape Lookout and Atlantic , and back toward Maysville.

The Newport River project is just the latest cleanup effort for the stewards. Their previous endeavors have included work on the White Oak River, Shark’s Tooth, Sugarloaf and Brandt islands, Shackleford Banks, and other areas.

The volunteers also campaign to stop littering. Large white letters affixed upside-down to Mr. Eddy’s red canoe (so that they may be easily read while strapped bottom-up to the vehicle rooftop) say,  “Y’all pledge…I will not litter!”

Roadside and neighborhood litter finds its way to the rivers. A July 2004 canoe trip on the middle reaches of the river with steward Gary Scruggs revealed an endless dotted line of bottles, cans, old dog toys, basketballs, tires, paper, plastic and other debris blown or washed in by heavy rains.

But the fallen and partially submerged trees that before had snagged much of the litter are now gone, Mr. Eddy said. The volunteers said they were there Wednesday to enjoy a pleasant paddle on a sunny day, and to pick up any remaining trash along their journey.

The stewards said the cleared river is an untapped tourist attraction that will surely draw visitors to the county. Eco-tourism is one of the fastest growing segments in the vacation business.

The paddlers, who traveled the river’s southwest prong between Roberts Road and Nine Mile Road , said they had no trouble with obstacles. They easily crossed two newly built beaver dams, each nearly two feet high, thanks to Wednesday’s high water level.

“They rebuild those dams overnight,” Mr. Eddy said.

But their canoes bumped a few unknown objects beneath the water’s surface that Mr. Eddy said could possibly present problems to inexperienced paddlers when the level drops.

“But it’s a nice canoeable river right now,” he said.

The river’s northwest prong, which extends toward Lake Road , was also cleared in the project.

On the Web:

Stewards of the White Oak River: www.whiteoakstewards.org

The Crystal Coast Kayak Club: www.ccckc.org

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